Of rust and Islands, a bag and Mason

The first photo is of a ship that was being towed for scrap before the 2nd world war and in big seas the tow rope snapped and she came ashore on Fraser Island and all attempts to float her off proved to be of no use. At one stage they even had a wedding on board not long after she went ashore.
Now there is still quite a bit of her left but I loved this photo taken through a port hole. I was told there were three decks below the one we could see in the sand.
I thought perhaps those doing rust projects might like this photo but I will put up a couple more later.
The next is a bit of an explanation of how you can have very tall forests on Fraser Island, they had a thriving timber industry before the greens got rid of it. Now the only thing on the Island is tourism.
Then the base for my little hand bag, I need some cord for it so it is not quite finished yet and I had enough of the fabric left to make a mobile phone bag as well.
Then small or perhaps not so small Mason who is growing and thriving. I have seen him quite often since I got home. He is normally quite a happy little chap although the other day when we took him out to help feed the ponies he didnt think much of me, but it was early in the morning so he had an excuse and his morning ritual was upset.
I am coping reasonably well although I had a full morning this morning, but I am tending to be pretty tired by about 4 o'clock, feeding the dogs and cat and chooks here time and watering, still no rain and thinking about dinner.
When I have to take the rattly old Toyota out and do the larger number of feeds here will be a bit more interesting. I think I will make a physio appointment.

1770

This delightful small town on the tip of an estuary was so much better value for money and the apartment we had was lovely, very Balinese. the view from our deck, Jill and John enjoying drinks,
the tropical garden in frontand me poking my finger into the jar the statue at the front gate was holding.
I could have stayed there for much longer even if Jill did get attacked by midges.
I am making a base for a small bag, so nothing much to show but I am still finishing my little book as well.
Horses fed, dogs fed, got a lot hotter today and John was off fishing, he has brought back fish as well so all is well with my woprld.

1939'ers

I keep forgetting how this works. The first photo is of the area around 1770 showing the inlets and mountains, then the rain bucketing down from in front of our balcony.
The '39'ers Birthday cake, it was incredible and so different. and finally the wonderful designs that the sand crabs make when cleaning out their burrows on the beach.
I am still making small pockets for my purse, I had a run away dog today so spent ages catching him and he is now I hope secure.
The farmers market early this morning then out to feed horses
A walk on the beach this afternoon and Australian Rules football has started and my team The Adelaide Crows won their first match of the season, not tipped by many but I still had faith in a new young team.

Start of a small pocket book

I have been doing Dale Rollerson's Ratty Tatty Papers, an on line course and in it we all went mad collecting paper table napkins. So I thought I would take a leaf out of Dale's book - no pun intended - and make a small book relating to my trip in Queensland. I couldnt believe how hard it was to get napkins that felt tropical Queensland.
so While I had a bit of time wandering shops I bought this particular one which only came in the small size so I had to cut it and make it fit. I found some really cheap pink felt in Crazy Clark's and got a bit of vliesofix, bonded it together and borrowed Jill's ancient sewing machine and machined over it. Ready to take with me in case I had time to do some sewing. So I made two pocket pages for my book, hand sewing around the edges. I know this looks more Morroccan but it did at least have palm trees and there are often quite Moorish looks to the tiles up there.
The hunt for more napkins was interesting and I did finally find a couple more that I think will do now that I am home.
Here I have no problems finding them but boy did I walk the streets looking for them in Queensland.

Yeppoon area

This is the kiln at the Nob Creek pottery about 40 km's away from the Resort which a friend of mine and I drove to while the rest were playing golf.
Then there is the so called singing ship, which is a piece of public art commemorating Captain Cook who passed in 1770. It is made so that when the wind blows through the pipes it 'sings' moans more like it. This is at Emu Creek which is near to Yeppoon. Jill and I are just in the photo. The ship was pretty quiet when we saw it as it was quite still.
Lovely views and the next photo is from the resort beach and shows Great Keppel Island and other islands around it. The resort on Keppel was closed so all thoughts of going out on the ferry were cancelled. Any way it was pretty rough as the effects of tropical cyclone Hamish were still being felt.
The last photo is of the three Brolgas, or Australian Native Cranes which were grazing around the edge of the golf course. They are lovely big grey birds with pink on them and when thay do their courtship dance they are quite magic.

More photos

Jill's cat Smokey in his favorite position on her table.
The view from our 96 year old friend Phyllie's balcony of the Broadwater at Surfers Paradise. The early setting of the table on Jill's balcony for dinner, we spend a lot of time out there, lunch, breakfast, dinner and just sitting her duplex overlooks a quiet park, that is when we are home and not galivanting around the country.

Small stitchery

Before I went on holidays I made up in a hurry the background for this little quilt and had a lovely time every time I had a few minutes in the early part of the holiday hand stitching onto it.
I am not quite sure if I have totally finished it but it is bright and was such a fun thing to do. I saw something along these lines in the last Quilting Arts before I went away I think.
I still have lots of photos but quite honestly have not finished editing them so perhaps tomorrow there will be more.
I have to go and collect Celina from netball. I cant say I have done much today, swept floors, made a casserole for tonight and delivered Celina to school, fed her mothers ponies and come home again. Really boring and I am itching to get into my work room.
Sarah has just told me I will have to do her horses here for a week as soon as I finish Tabs, and there are far more here to do unfortunately and my back really does not like the Toyota. Ah well the joys of motherhood etc etc!!

Home from Queensland

I am very tired and still trying to get things sorted. I did manage to get a few photos up and organised. As usual I had forgotten that they go up in reverse order. So the first ones are on a friends property in the Brisbane Valley, looking fantastic and very lovely. Then the lop eared beasts they call cattle up there in Queensland, these were most entertained at this group of people having lunch.
Then the Brisbane River where we crossed in the 4 wheel drives, very small at this stage.
Finally the Surfers Paradise big buildings seen as we walked the beach, no swimming as the cyclonic affects were still being felt and the seas were huge,this was the second day of the trip and finally John walking ahead on our first day when it was still very wild on the beach and I nearly got washed away when a slightly larger wave got me. After that I was very careful with the camera so you really cant see what the waves looked like.
Wonderful 2 weeks, lots more installments to come but we didnt stop this time and now I am home I am looking after one grand child and feeding Tabby's ponies and I think my back is broken!!

Playing with Lutradur

I had a sample piece that Dale had sent in a pack, not much so I had a play with it after painting it first and then spraying with mists.
So first I stamped it, then I used some scraps and using my heat tool bonded the scraps on and also using the heat tool cut out a scallop on the botton. Not one to have left overs I used those scraps to see if they would adhear as awell. Then I put painted vliesofix on it, then stencilled and used a punch to cut out some small hearts, then using misty fuse I popped on all sorts of scraps to see what they would do. I have made up some small labels telling me what I did and I will put those on and make a small book.
Not shown are one piece that I foiled and one I am sewing scraps onto.
I have packed the cases and watered the pots and am in the last phases of getting organised to go away.
Of course goodness knows what the flight tomorrow will be like and when trying to do the online booking for our seats, the system had a hissy fit and we were seated miles away from each other and then we couldnt change it whatever we tried. We finally had to contact the airline who tell us we should be ok and to explain when we get to the counter. But will this work?
We are taking the small notebook with us but contact may be minimal so you may not hear from me until the middle of the month.

A small quilt and this mornings photos

I saw a gorgeous idea in the latest Quilting arts in which the author had used stitch to embellish, and quite highly embellish small quilts and as I want something to take away with me I made this today. It is a bit rough but I will see what I can transform it into.
We were up early this morning, in to the market where I bought some goats meat to try, then a walk around the road along the base of the Bluff. We havent been there for ages and I didnt think we would see a seal but a very busy one appeared, too fast for me to take a photo.
It was damp and very overcast with a big swell so of course a photo, the cottage is the original Rumbelow cottage that was moved many years ago to be part of the original Whalers Haven and the center piece of a small museum. I am not sure what it is used for now.
It is a shame it is still not the small settlers cottage museum it was.
Sarah rang me this morning to tell me that we had won the Champion ridden stallion at the National Welsh Show in Victoria, and won the Section A stallion class and won the National Welsh leading rein with the mare so they have been doing well.
I wish I was there. Here I am getting very tired doing the feeds!

Last nights function

Some one else paid for us to go to this, I had no intention of driving nearly 2 hours to see the former Prime Minister at a tribute to the former Foreign affairs Minister as I have already been to a couple of these before, Alexander Downer was our local Federal MP and I like and respect him but any way for a glass of champagne and four bits of finger food I am not sure it was worth it. Although the speeches were very funny.
I did shake John Howard's hand and reminded him that I had sat next to him many years ago at a thing at Victor when Alexander was briefly the Opposition Leader, I didnt expect him to remember it although it always left me with a lasting impression of a nice man.
When John was Mayor I met all sorts of people.
So I took some photos, it was freezing cold and was supposed to be a garden party and the women to wear cocktail dresses, those that did got wet and froze. A lovely restored house and garden nearly at the top Of Mt Lofty. I loved the cast iron work on the top of the conservatory, and somehow got Johns face, sorry about that and I believe the Opposition Leader as well.
The other one was of the rather Jane Austin interior, not my style but I suppose people who restore these houses think that is what they should do, of course originally it wouldnt have looked like this at all.
At this stage I was squashed against a door as it really started to rain outside and every one made a rush for the inside.
We have had 17 mm of rain which is lovely but incredibly you kick the soil and under the top centimeter or so it is dry
I am having to feed a zillion ponies as the family have gone to Victoria to try their luck at the National Welsh Show. I will be glad when they get home as tossing hay around is playing merry hell with my back.
I am also in panic mode as we head for Queensland on Tuesday and I have so much to do before I leave, but at least I did manage to vaguely get the house looking neat and clean so one thing off the list.
I also see what looks like a cyclone off the Queensland coast, could make life interesting, wet and humid I would think.

no photos but a poem

In this months Adelaide Review Shirley Stott Despoja bemoaned the fact that it was hard to find a suitable poem for her granddaughters naming day but she finally found this one which I think is so apt

FOR A FAVORITE GRANDDAUGHTER
by Dorothy Parker

Never love a simple lad,
Guard against a wise,
Shun a timid youth and sad,
Hide from haunted eyes.

Never hold your heart in pain
For an evil-doer;
Never flip it down the lane
To a gifted wooer.

Never love a loving son,
Nor a sheep astray,
Gather up your skirts and run
From a tender way.

Never give away a tear,
Never toss a pine;
Should you heed my words, my dear,
You're no blood of mine!

I hope you like it. I did.

Painted and crumpled brownpaper

I do this every so often but I need to cover some small note books and this will be a start.
And what did I do today, apart from that? I saw a specialist who looked at my knees, wriggled my knees until they hurt and told me there was nothing he could do they were just old arthritic knees and I had abused them quite successfully in my life but nothing he could or would operate on and in fact even looking at them with an arthroscope (sp?) would do more damage than good and to keep on managing the best I could. eg, more pain killers!! More or less told me that these were nearly 70 year old knees and that is why lots of people from down here go to Queensland in the winter.
So I came home chasened and crumpled brown paper!
John has had his stitches out and the path report says they have got it all so that is good news.

Our dam

We went for a walk this morning along the beach in Victor and came back to find that cyclists that no one seemed to know much about had created havoc near our favorite coffee stop.
Then a photo of one of the stallions with his mare and a foal by him. Rather a nice foal.
Shows how dry it is.
Finally some photos of the dam we have just cleaned out and made a bit bigger. the water in the bottom has been pumped in from another dam, so far that is all we have in it and this is the dam we use for the dairy.
It will be good if when it does rain we get a nice gentle one so that the soil which is so powdery dry has a chance to absorb it as against it all running off.
I am making more fabric hearts,this time in a different stronger color, as well as finishing off a heap of stuff for the exhibition so nothing to show yet.
It seems to be so hard to find any time to settle and do stuff, the house needs cleaning and the hoses get constantly moved.